Prevention of pressure ulcers with a motorized air support in at-risk patients hospitalized in rehabilitation departments APAM plus an observational prevalence study with historical control and incidence study

BACKGROUND: The main study was a cross-sectional multicenter study of the prevalence of pressure ulcers in rehabilitation services (RS) where Axtair Automorpho (R) Plus mattresses were made available ad libitum. The primary objective was to enable comparison with prevalence as observed in the national PERSE study (historical control) in similar departments using a variety of prevention aids. METHODS: This cross-sectional prevalence study was combined with a prospective study of the incidence of pressure ulcer occurrence in the high-risk target population whose beds were systematically equipped with the studied support. RESULTS: On the day of the prevalence study, 18 of the 456 patients presented pressure ulcers which occurred during the period when Axtair Automorpho (R) Plus supports were made available to the departments. This corresponds to a prevalence of 3.9% [2.4, 6.2] which is significantly lower than those recorded in the PERSE study: 11.8% [10.8; 12.8] p<0.0001. The ulcer incidence study covers 57 patients who were hospitalized on a bed with an Axtair Automorpho (R) Plus support because of their risk of contracting pressure ulcers. One pressure ulcer occurred in 3 patients and 3 pressure ulcers occurred in another patient, i.e. 4 out of 57 corresponding to an incidence of 7.0% [2.0; 17.0]. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the pressure ulcer prevalence study in rehabilitation departments where Axtair Automorpho (R) Plus supports were available as well as results of the study of pressure ulcer incidence in patients bedridden on Axtair Automorpho (R) Plus, confirm the expected benefit provided to patients in terms of prevention.